The Ministry of Health confirmed 696 cases of monkeypox, or “monkeypox”, in Brazil, according to information this Saturday (23).
The state that accumulates the highest number of infections is São Paulo, with 506 cases. Next comes Rio de Janeiro (102), Minas Gerais (33), Goiás (14), Federal District (13), Paraná (11), Bahia (3), Rio Grande do Sul (3), Pernambuco (3), Ceará (2), Rio Grande do Norte (2), Espírito Santo (2), Mato Grosso do Sul (1) and Santa Catarina (1).
The ministry stated, in a note, that it maintains direct articulation with the states to monitor cases and trace patients’ contacts.
Also on Saturday (23), the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency for monkeypox.
“We believe this can mobilize the world to act together. We need coordination and solidarity so that we are able to control monkeypox,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom told a press conference in Geneva.
Through a note, the Ministry of Health reported that “all the measures announced today by the World Health Organization (WHO) have already been carried out by Brazil since the beginning of July in order to carry out a timely surveillance of the disease”.
Despite the name of the infection, monkeys are not responsible for transmitting smallpox. In fact, they are victims of viruses just like human beings. Monkeypox is a disease transmitted primarily by intimate contact and exchange of secretions between people.
In an interview with CNN, Infectologist Luana Araújo explained that the symptoms of the infection are similar to those of other viruses, such as “fever, malaise, stomach pain, headache. And, after a while, she starts to show some injuries on her body.”
Source: CNN Brasil
